Centrifugal separator.



G. f. POWLER.

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, 1911.

1,069,058, Patented July 29, 1913.

2 SHEETS-sum1 2.

x \\\"f////////////// W/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GORDON F. FOWLEB, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SEARS, ROEBUCK & COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

` CENTRI-roeier. sEPARAToa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Application led March 4, 1911. Serial N0. 612,174.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GORDON F. FOwLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county ot' Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Separators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates particularly to cen-V trifugal liquid-separators such as are commonly used for separating cream from milk.

The primary object of the invention is to provide improvedmeans for dischargin the lighter separated liquid as the cream rom the bowl, and the invention consists in the features of novelty hereinafter described, shownin the accompanying drawings forming partb of this specicat-ion, and finally pointed out more specifically in the appended claim.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the upper portion of a complete assembled bowl to which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation of a portion of thc upper ext-remi ty of a bowl adjacent the cream discharge outlet. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3, 3, Fig. 1, looking downward. Fig. 4 is a broken Vertical section through the cream outlet taken on line 4, 4, Fig. 1, look` ing in the direction indicated by the arrows. Fig. 5 is a detachedperspective view of the cream discharge outlet.

10 represents the body of the bowl of a centrifugal liquid separator, the same being of the usual cylindrical form throughout the main bo-dyportion, the most of which is shown broken away in Fig. 1,` the upper part thereof being contracted or conical in shape and terminating at. its upper eX- tremity in the cylindrical neck kprovided with discharge outlets for both the separated fluids which are of unequal densities, as for example, the cream and skim milk. The bowl 10 is the;` usual form as shown or any desired form, and in the embodiment. of the invention herein illustrated is shown provided with the usual central member or core as indicated by the reference character 11, which is provided with a central vertical opening 11, through which the fluid to be separated enters the top of the bowl.

The liquid may enter the separating chambers of the bowl from the 4central feeding passage 11a in anyA desired manner as through the o enings 11b, whence it is fed downwardly 't rough the vertical channels 12 and thence distributed in any desired manner to the separating means, .which may consist ofthe usual superimposed conical disks as illustrated in'Fl-g. 1 and indicated by the reference character 13,01` any other suitable separatingmf` ans or liner. To close the vertical feed pesage 12 the sleeve 14 may be employed in the bowl assembly, and to position the liner disks 13 in relation to the supporting core of the bowl the sleeve 14 may be provided with any suitable number of vertical ribs as indicated at 15, adapted to coperate with suitable registering slots or openings in the periphery of the usual large central opening in the liner disks 13, not herein shown, vsince the same forms no part of the present invention.

Superimposed upon the top of the liner disks 13 is a conical skimming shield 16, which in its general form is similar to the liner disks 13, but is provided with the cylindrical portion 16a, which extends upwardly'throughy the neck of the bowl surrounding the. core for the liner disks, including'the longitudinal vsleeve 14 already referredfto as well as the shorter sleeve 17 surrounding the central-core 11, and being adapted to space the sleeve 14 therefrom to form the vertical feed'passages 12 which feed the full milk to the liner above described. i

The contracted neck of the skimming shield as indicated -at 16a is provided with an enlargement shown at 16b adapted to take the cream discharge device which consists of the elongated channeled member- 18 closed on three vsides and Open on the fourth side, and being provided with the discharge hood 18 at the top thereof, consisting of an enlarged housing containing an `interior passageway -or channel at approximately right angles to the channel on the interior of the longitudinal portion of the member 18, the said angular channel terminating at vits outer extremity in the cream discharge Outlet 18h. At the right angular junction of the vertical and horizontal discharge passages the wall of the housing or hood 18a is pierced and threaded to-take the usual cream regulating screw 19.

Askwell known in thisiart, when a bowl containing a skimming device is surmounted by a skimming shield as indicated by skimming shield 16 adjacent the outer wall lgreatest density and specific gravity will be discharged outwardly beyond the vperipheries of the liner Idisks and will tend to follow a path upwardlyon the exterior of the of the Ibowl and will eventually find its way to the skiml milk discharge passages as indicated at Q0, .through which it will leave the bowl, to be discharged-.into theusual skim milk collecting and receiving devices. On the other hand, it is well known'lthat fluid of least specific gravityor density" will be displaced by the heavier component and will find its way toward the center of the bowl and ultimately traverse the passages on the interior of the skimming shield 16, eventually finding its way to the 'passages on the interior of the cream channeled discharge member 18, thence into the angular .channel at the upper extremity of the member past the cream regulating sciew 19 and leaving the bowl through the discharge outlet 18b to be received into the usual cream f receiving and collecting devices. 'lhevertical cream discharge passage on the interior of the channeled member 18 is Preferably ofl ofa cream regulating screw of larger diameter at the junction of the vertical and horizontal passages than if a cream screw be positioned at any other point 1n a cream y'discharge passage -of given dimensions since it may bi readily demonstrated that a circle of largei area may be inscribed at a right angular arn in the passage than at any other loca' n in said passage, hence the useof the angiiar or deflected channel permits of the use of a cream screw of larger diameter than would be used in the usual perpendicularchannel with the outlet above the screw, and this deflection of the outlet passage therefore secures easier regulation and `because of the fact that the screw employed may be larger than if used in a straight passage the life ot the screw will 'be much longer inproportion as the size thereof is increased, since it found in practice that the wear on cream screws due to regulation 1n `use is considerable and the deterioration due to such wear as well as to oxidation is proportionately less as the size thereof is increased. screw of larger diameter enables the .size of the threads thereon and the corresponding threads in the bowl wall to be increased, all of which tends to increase the life of the parts and promote the ease of regulation of the cream discharge passage. It is also found that the horizontal deflection at the upper end of the cream discharge passage insures a cream of minimum froth, as the cream is arrested somewhat in its forward tangential discharge andstrikes the covers of the cream collecting device with less force upon leaving the bowl.V It is also found that the angular extension and enlargement at the upper end of the cream device enables the same to be fastened more securely to the neck of the skimming shield.

The use of the perpendicular channel in the cream discharge member permits the discharge of cream that is on'a line with the skim-milk exit less only the thickness of the .Also the use of the l outer wall of the channel, thereby permitting a greater range of regulation. In the use of my improved device it is also found that cream rising in the channel is prevented from slipping, insuring a more perfect discharge than when the cream is collected and rises in a circular space with no means provided for keeping the cream at the same speed as .the bowl. A further and very decided advantage of my improved cream discharge device is due to the fact that the cream discharge outlet is in 'approxin'iately the same horizontal plane as the plane of the cream screw and not considerably above or below it and the advantage arises from the fact that when the discharge `opening is above the screw as is usually, the case, and leakage from the screw which-is liable to occur when the screwl is adjusted or when it becomes worn or corroded will escape from such opening around thev screw and upon leaving the neck of the bowl tangentially due to the velocity thereof will be discharged in a plane below the level of the plane of the cream discharge passage and usually into the collecting device designed fory receiving and collecting the skim milk, which to the extent that this occurs results in the 'undoing of the work of separation, andsbecause of the loss of valuable materials is a result in centrifugal separation very much desired to be avoided.

The circumferential band 21 is employed around the neck of the bowl for the purpose of providing convenient means for grasping the bow-l by the hand of the operator, and this band is provided with openings registerin with the discharge outlet 20 lin the bowl wal. For the purpose of assembling and securing the parts ofthe bowl together, any suitable means may be employed, that preferred being as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3,

and consisting of the binding nut 22 threadedand adapted to coperate with the threaded end at the upper extremity of the liner core 11, this nut being provided with suitabl means as the indentations 22, adapted to receive a suitable tool or wrench.

In order that the invention might be fully understood the details of the preferred embodiment thereof have been thus specifically described, but it is not desired to be limited to the exact details of construction herein with a skimming device and separate dis- A charge means for both cream and skimmed milk, one of said discharge means comprising a member provided with a passageway leading from the skimming device, said passageway havin an intake opening communicating with t 1e skimming chamber, there being a passageway communicating therewith and leading from the rst said passageway to the exterior of the bowl, and extending at an approximately right angle thereto and forming a continuation thereof, and a regulating screw at the junction of the said passngeways, said screw being threaded at an axis extending approximately at a right angle to the common plane of the said passageways and being adapted to control the opening therethrough.

In testimony whereof I have signed Iny name 'to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing'witnesses, on this 1st day of March, A. I). 1911.

GORDON F. FOWLER.

Vitnesses:

A. L. SPRINKLE, Giras. M. Nissan.

opies o! this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

